The hot springs are the famous draw, of course, but if you’re not moving out of the steamy water during your entire visit, you’re missing out. It’s great to relax, but there are other options, and you can always alternate between activities and soaking.

The Pullman (330 7th St., 970-230-9234, thepullmangws.com) is the latest from Mark Fischer, the genius behind Six89 and Phat Thai in Carbondale, and this one is yet another hit. Located in the Railroad District, the casual eatery manages to pull off eclectic fare such as melt-in-your-mouth goat hash topped with a poached egg and truffle-enhanced pierogis, yet make it all seem truly down-to-earth and fun. Not to mention affordable, because you can snack like crazy on small plates and walk out feeling satisfied and like you got your money’s worth. Some of the best service around, too.

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The truffle-enhanced pierogis at The Pullman in Glenwood Springs.

The Spa of the Rockies (401 N. River St., 877-947-3331, spaoftherockies.com) sits close enough to the hot springs pool that you can lazily wander out of your massage or other treatment and right into a nice, hot mineral bath (the hot springs are not included, by the way), and the mineral waters that feed the hot springs are used in the baths here. The spa offers the full range of massages and some salon treatments, as well. Tip: Buy your hot springs passes through the spa, because for a few bucks more you get access to the fabulous Athletic Club and can enter the pool through it, which means a nicer locker room experience.

For once I wasn’t biking up the hill en route to the vineyards and orchards in Palisade in the 90-degree heat, and that was OK by me.

Many vineyards in Palisade, like Carlson Vineyards here, have views of Mount Garfield or the Book Cliffs. (Kyle Wagner/The Denver Post).

I ride the Tour of the Valley road ride the last weekend of August on my fat tire just about every year, but this past weekend, a couple of Denver Public Schools days off gave us some extra time to make the trek over to the Grand Junction area again, just in time for the popular Colorado Mountain Winefest, which had sold out every hotel room for miles. And this time, I drove from winery to winery to see what was new (and yes, I was spitting).

On the way, we stopped for a night at the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge, always one of my favorites because the room rate gets you two days’ worth of soaking in the hot springs for everyone in the room, as well as a breakfast that’s worthwhile if you know how to pick and choose (yes to the hard-boiled eggs, coffee, cereal, bagels and peanut butter, no to the squishy fruit, pancakes that get old fast and the cheap syrup). The rooms are comfortable, well-maintained and come with free WiFi and nice TVs, as well as coffeemakers, refrigerators and microwaves.

We got up the next morning and biked along the Glenwood Canyon Recreational Trail, which you can access either by a two-mile road stretch from the Lodge, or by hopping off Interstate 70 at No Name, exit 119. The river is beautiful along here, and in stretches you can get away from the highway noise and get a decent workout on some of the gentle uphills.

Travel and OutWest editor Kyle Wagner grew up in Pittsburgh and lived in Lake County, Ill., and Naples, Fla., before moving to Denver in 1993, where she reviewed restaurants for Westword before moving to The Denver Post in 2002. She considers the best days to be those that involve her teenage daughters and doing something outside, preferably mountain biking or whitewater rafting.

Dean Krakel is a photo editor (primarily sports) at The Denver Post. A native of Wyoming, he has authored three books, "Season of the Elk," "Downriver" and "Krakel's West." An avid kayaker, rafter, mountain biker, trail runner, telemark skier and backpacker, Dean's outdoor adventures have taken him around the world.

Douglas Brown was raised about 30 miles west of Philadelphia in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he spent a lot of time running around in the woods and fields (where he hunted and explored), and in the ocean (where he surfed and stared at the horizon). Now he lives in Boulder and spends as much time hiking, running, skiing and boarding the High Country (and the Boulder foothills) as possible.

Ricardo Baca is the entertainment editor and pop music critic at The Denver Post, as well as the founder and executive editor of Reverb and the co-founder of The UMS. Happy days often involve at least one of these: whitewater rafting, snowshoeing, vintage Vespas, writing, camping, live music, road trips, snowboarding or four-wheeling.